Chapter 235: My Hobby is Erasing Family Trees |
A small boy, barely ten years old, stepped out from behind Yu Ling.
Everyone froze.
“Is this… another one of Yu Ling’s victims?”
“Whose child is this? Someone claim him!”
“Not mine, I don’t know him.”
The cultivators murmured among themselves, but none of them, being elders and sect masters of prestigious sects, wanted to lower themselves by confronting a child.
Elder Wangzhe, his face creased with a kind smile, asked gently, “Little one, whose child are you?”
“I said, apologize to her.”
Chen Yin’s gaze was clear and unwavering, his childish face showing no fear as he stared at the cultivator who had insulted Yu Ling.
“Hey, brat! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Yu Ling frowned, her voice laced with anxiety. “Get out of here! Don’t interfere!”
The formation had activated the moment they arrived, sealing her spiritual energy. It was a powerful and costly formation, clearly meant to trap her.
She was confident she could break free within half a day,
But that was enough time for these people to retrieve their children.
And she was worried about this unknown boy.
Although she doubted these “noble” cultivators would harm a child,
She couldn’t be certain. And she might not be able to protect him in time.
Chen Yin just looked at her, his brow furrowed slightly. “They said some very hurtful things.”
“I know! I’ll deal with them myself!”
Yu Ling was exasperated. “Mind your own business, little boy!”
Chen Yin shook his head.
“…This is my business.”
His voice was serious.
The cultivator who had insulted Yu Ling was about to retort angrily, “Whose child is this?! Does anyone claim him?! If not, I’ll—”
His words were cut short as his tongue flew through the air,
A clean, bloodless cut.
Most of the cultivators didn’t even see what happened.
Only a few of the more powerful Grand Clarity Realm experts reacted, their eyes widening in shock. Yu Ling and Elder Wangzhe were the fastest.
They had seen it.
A flash of sword light,
Too fast for the eye to follow.
The cultivator stared at them in stunned silence for a few seconds, then screamed in agony, clutching his bleeding mouth, his body convulsing on the ground.
The other cultivators finally reacted, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
“Dao Rhythm? The… the Dao Rhythm of the Sword Dao?!”
“Impossible! It’s been centuries since a Grand Clarity Realm Sword Cultivator comprehended the Dao!”
“Who was it? Who did that?!”
Panic spread through the crowd, but Elder Wangzhe remained calm, his expression serious as he bowed deeply.
“Which Daoist friend has graced us with their presence? Please reveal yourself.”
A calm, ethereal voice echoed from the sky:
“If that mouth is only capable of insults, then there’s no need for it.”
“You can choose not to apologize. But then you won’t be speaking again.”
“One tongue for every insult.”
“…Those are my words.” A young man in white, his features bearing a faint resemblance to Chen Yin, descended from the sky, his sword in hand.
The moment he appeared, all eyes were on him.
Elder Wangzhe, realizing that this powerful Sword Cultivator was probably the boy’s father, tried to defuse the situation.
“Greetings, Fellow Daoist. May I ask your name?”
“…Why should I tell you?” the swordsman said coldly.
“I want that man to apologize. Not you.”
Elder Wangzhe’s face stiffened, but he maintained his polite smile. “Fellow Daoist, there must be some misunderstanding. A young and talented Sword Cultivator like yourself, having comprehended the Dao… Why don’t we go up the mountain? I’d be honored to host you—”
Before he could finish his sentence,
The cultivator on the ground screamed even louder.
“Aaaaagh!!!”
A branch had pierced through his hand, pinning him to the ground.
“Fellow Daoist, please calm down! We can talk about this!” Elder Wangzhe said, his voice laced with alarm.
“I don’t like talking.”
The swordsman’s gaze was fixed on the writhing figure on the ground, his voice cold and indifferent. “There are other ways to apologize. If he doesn’t apologize, I’ll remove every part of his body that can.”
“Fellow Daoist!” Elder Wangzhe’s frown deepened.
“You doubt my abilities?” the swordsman asked calmly.
Elder Wangzhe didn’t answer.
…In fact, none of them did.
These were all powerful cultivators, elders and sect masters of prestigious sects.
And they knew just how terrifying a Grand Clarity Realm Sword Cultivator who had comprehended the Dao could be.
Especially a rogue cultivator, unburdened by sect rules and responsibilities.
A Grand Clarity Realm expert was incredibly difficult to kill, and a rogue cultivator had no attachments or obligations. And a Sword Cultivator who had comprehended the Dao was a force of pure destruction.
Making an enemy of someone like that was a very bad idea.
And these cultivators were just here to retrieve their children. They weren’t close friends.
No one was willing to risk their lives, or their sect’s reputation, for a stranger.
Including Elder Wangzhe.
Making an enemy of this swordsman would bring endless trouble.
He hesitated, then asked tentatively, “Is there… no room for negotiation, Fellow Daoist? Perhaps you could reconsider. I’m willing to offer you some valuable treasures as a token of friendship.”
But the swordsman just glanced at him sideways.
“I want him to apologize. Not you. Are you his mouthpiece?”
Elder Wangzhe’s face flushed with embarrassment.
The cultivator on the ground, realizing he was in mortal danger, scrambled to his feet and crawled towards Yu Ling, his eyes bloodshot, his throat emitting a desperate, gurgling sound, as if begging for mercy.
The swordsman remained silent. It was Chen Yin who spoke.
“Apologize,” he looked down at the man, his youthful voice cold and hard, “you don’t have to use your mouth. Think of another way. If you can’t, I’ll remove the parts that can.”
“You only have one chance.”
The man hesitated, then scrambled towards Yu Ling and kowtowed frantically, his forehead hitting the ground repeatedly,
Afraid that if he was even a moment too slow, the terrifying swordsman would kill him.
Yu Ling didn’t even look at him.
Her gaze was fixed on the swordsman, a flicker of suspicion in her eyes.
Chen Yin stood beside the man, watching him kowtow.
He didn’t say a word. And the man didn’t dare stop.
Finally, after the man had exhausted himself and collapsed unconscious, Chen Yin looked away.
“…You should be grateful that your child is our friend.”
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t even bother listening to your apology.”
“My hobby is erasing the family trees of those who speak out of turn.”
His words, so cold and ruthless, coming from such a young boy, were chilling.
But with the swordsman looming over them, no one dared to speak.
Finally, Elder Wangzhe coughed awkwardly. “Fellow Daoist… your anger has been appeased, shall we let this matter go?”
The swordsman turned and lightly tapped the ground with his sword.
The formation shattered, and Yu Ling gracefully leaped forward, landing before them.
The cultivators instinctively took a step back.
Yu Ling casually flicked her wrist, ignoring the swordsman, and said to the group, her voice filled with disdain,
“You have some nerve, trying to scheme against me.”
“Do you really think I’m that easy to manipulate?”
“I’ll show you what happens when you push me too far. I’ll set off firecrackers outside your houses at 2 AM every night, and I’ll eat all the offerings from your ancestors’ graves…”
She continued her tirade, the cultivators glaring at her but not daring to interrupt.
Finally, satisfied, she put her hands on her hips.
“We’ll compensate you for this, Fellow Daoist Yu Ling.”
Elder Wangzhe tried to smooth things over. “But as for the matter of the Immortal Venerable’s ruins…”
Yu Ling was about to explode when a chorus of voices suddenly rang out:
“Father!”
“Mother!”
“Master!”
Yu Ling turned around and saw Si Qing and the other teenagers kneeling before them.
“Father, Mother, I’m sorry,” Si Qing said, her eyes red-rimmed, “but I don’t want to be caged! Let me experience the world! I won’t disappoint you at the next Immortal Disciple Competition! Please, let me go!”
She bowed deeply.
“Please! Let us go!” The other teenagers echoed her plea.
“Qing’er…”
A couple in the crowd, their eyes filled with tears, were speechless.
Many of the cultivators began to waver, and Elder Wangzhe, sensing an opportunity, quickly said, “A sword must be tempered to become sharp. These children are still young, why not let them try their luck in the ruins? Perhaps they’ll find their own opportunities.”
With Yu Ling refusing to budge, Elder Wangzhe advocating for a peaceful resolution, and the children determined to go,
The cultivators began to disperse, sighing and shaking their heads.
Only a few parents remained, wanting to speak with their children.
Elder Wangzhe breathed a sigh of relief as the matter was finally resolved.
The swordsman had disappeared.